A Turtle and His Sisyphus
by yourfaithfulsidekick
Summary: Feeling like nothing but a liability to his family, Mikey strives to become a better ninja. Even if that means sacrificing yourself to a psychopathic scientist who makes his brothers believe he is dead. Can he pull through and save his brothers from Bishop's deadly plot? Or will he continue to fullfil the beliefs of his brothers- that he is long gone.
1. Part 1 (Chapter 1) Out of Place

**A**uthor's Note: Okay, well, I haven't written in years so- I'M SO SORRY IF IT'S A LITTLE RUSTY. While I was in my English class, she briefly talked about Greek mythology and when I heard the story of Sisyphus I was immediately inspired to write this.

For those of you who don't know the story of Sisyphus, basically, he basically spends all eternity trying to roll a stone up a hill, only to have it come right back down again. This constant sense of trying to make it to the top and being pushed back down, can totally relate (er- or at least I thought) to anyone's struggles!

As the youngest in my family, I can totally relate to some of the emotions Mikey feels throughout this story. Though I will focus on mostly Mikey, I will switch back and forth on the other's feelings!

I'll try to update soon, but I have finals coming up! Once those are done I can go backt to working on this! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT or any of the characters or the song lyrics from "Maybe" (by Sick Puppies)**

...

**A Turtle and his Sisyphus**

…..….

Chapter 1:

"_Maybe I'm a dreamer. Maybe I'm misunderstood. Maybe you're not seeing the side of me should…"_

"Again!"

_Man, what I'd do for a nice large pepperoni pizza right about now… _Michelangelo smiled at the thought of the delicious masterpiece. Immediately his mind began ticking at the thought of what he could conjure up. _Obviously it'll have a ton of cheese! Maybe I could make- HAWAIAN! Now that's a pizza that'll-!_

"Focus, Michelangelo!"

_Oh, shell! _Shaking his hungry mind, Mikey realized that he was now sitting on his shell, sprawled out on the ground. Looking up, Mikey was shot with his infamous brother's death glare. _Oh, Leo. I swear, this dude practices how to rip through my soul in his mirror. _

"That's the third time this week I won in less than ten minutes, Michelangelo." Leonardo said, scoffing the dirt off his knuckles. He sighed as he reached his hand out to his youngest brother, "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your mind on one thing? More specifically, your training?"

"Uh," Mikey smiled weakly, accepting his brother's hand as he lifted him up. "Just today or this week? Cause' if it was today I think it's about...the third? And if was the week well I really wasn't thinking of keeping score of-!"

"Oh come on, Raph! That was totally uncalled for!"

"Don't be such a sour puss, Don."

"What now?" Leonardo mumbled to himself as he rubbed his forehead. Lately all of his brothers have been a source of both migraines and ulcers. He shook his head as he stormed over to his brothers. Stopping in his tracks, he turned around and said, "You stay here, Mike."

Karai has been awfully quiet for the past few months, the Purple Dragons haven't made any big moves, and the Foot has yet to steep out on the streets since the fall of the Shredder. The pressure of danger popping up, maybe even stronger, at any point pushed Splinter to train his sons much harder. Of course, Leo took Splinter's intentions to heart. _Maybe a little too hard, for Leo's sake!_

If he were human, he was sure that his oldest brother would have a hair full of grey hair at this point.

_Uh-oh! Leo looks even more ticked off than usual! Maybe if I just sneak past using my Battle Nexus Champion ninja skills… _Michelangelo watched Leo turn to face the other side of the dojo where Raphael had Donatello in a headlock, shouting something about winning fair and square. Smiling to himself, he took complete full advantage of his situation. Tip-Toeing his way toward the door of the dojo, Mikey could hear Leo and Raph bickering over Don's cries to be released. This was his big break-!

Making a sprint to his bedroom, Michelangelo can't help but embrace the adrenaline rush that consumed him. Pushing himself to run as fast as he could, he finally reached his bedroom door. Shutting it behind him, he sighed of relief. _Ha! Made it out alive! Go Mikey, go Mikey! Go! Go!_

A loud knocking echoing outside his door interrupted his exhilaration. _Oh, Shell. _"Michelangelo!" Leonardo was back again for the kill -this time, his voice full blown with authority. "Your training is over when** I** say so! Get out here right now and finish!"

"Geez, Leo, calm your katanas." Lowering his head in defeat, Mikey opened his door. Before Mikey could plea to his big brother, Leo slapped his brother across the side of his head. Before Mikey could cry out, he suddenly felt his arm being dragged out of his room and down back to the dojo.

"Aw, come on, Leo!" Mikey cried, (failingly) attempting to get out of his brother's grasp. "I'm sorry! Next time I-!"

"This **won't** happen again." Leo said sternly, giving him a shove into the dojo. Inside, Raph and Don were already waiting. There, Don is leaning against one side of the wall, and Raph being on the other- both his older brothers pouting in their own corners.

"Alright," Leo began, clearing his throat. "Everyone's behavior has been unacceptable these past few days-."

"We don't need a lecture, Fearless." Raph grunted. "Especially from you." Mikey bit his lip to the growing tension in the small room. Lately, things weren't very peachy between him and his brothers. _Hell, even Donnie is acting up!_

Leo, after Splinter fell ill earlier in the month, took the role of being head of the house. _As if Leo wasn't already- er- besides Master Splinter of course!_ In Mikey's eyes, this meant Leo's big brother's aura/lecture/talks have increased a good fifty percent. Leo has become even stricter with his brothers than usual. Sure, Leo wasn't fond of Raph going up to the surface with Casey some nights. It wasn't until recently when Leo became more persistent with Raph about his time out, with or without Casey. But it wasn't just Raph getting the wrath.

Don, being in his lab even more often than usual, has focused solely on helping Master Splinter have a speedy recovery and his usual calibrations. Master Splinter insists that he just has a simple cold, nothing for his sons to fret over. Of course, Don being his own perfectionist, convinced himself to run every test on his father as possible- just to be safe. Even Michelangelo knew that once Don was head into a project, there would be nothing to snap his head out of it until he was through. Leo, knowing how hard his brother pushes, attempts to pull his brother out of his lab and train more. _More like force him to train._

"Believe it or not, I'm going to agree with Raph on this one." Don sighed. "We did everything you asked Leo, it's only morning practice. There's no need to push so hard-."

"No need?" Leo hissed, clenching his hand to his katana.

_Oh, shell. Well, yup, aaaand Leo has officially cracked._

Mikey took a step back as Leo walked up to Don. Getting face to face with his younger brother, Leo said, "Karai can be out there planning a way to get back at us!"

Mikey could tell that his oldest brother was trying to hide any emotion in his voice. In a way, he always felt bad for Leo. It was very, very, rare that he'd see Leo calm down and just hang out with them. He tried to recall the last time he just joked and played with his brother. _Were we 10? 12? _

Leonardo looked over to the rest of his brothers as he continued on. "You think that you'll be able to fight off an entire Foot elite? You think you're strong enough to face Karai?"

"We know you aren't."

_Wait; scratch that, __**now**__ Leo has cracked. Oh, come on, Raph! _Michelangelo slapped his forehead as Don cursed under his breath. _Well, this is it. It was great knowing my brothers. _

Silence fell onto the room.

Donatello stood helplessly in front of Leonardo. Leonardo's head snapped over to Raphael, still clutching his katanas tightly. Donatello placed his hand on Leo's shoulder, gripping it firmly to keep him in his place.

_If Raph and Leo don't kill each other now, than the tension in this room will! I totally got to stop it-! _Mikey stepped in between Raph and Leo as he put his arms outward toward each of them. Forcing his trademark grin, he coughed a chuckle, "Okay, dudes, look, we're all tired, pretty ticked off and maaaybe even hungry? Let's part on friendly terms, eat some pizza, say our sorries and call it a day!"

Silence fell again.

Mikey darted his eyes to each of his brothers, still attempting to keep a smile. Raph, on his right, was standing firm with his arm crossed. His eyes locked onto Leo's, irritation oozing from his glare. Looking to his left, Leo had the same glance to Raph. Don stood on Leo's right, still holding Leo's shoulder for dear life. Don, being the only one who was looking at Mikey, simply shook his head. Mikey bit his lip as he desperately looked to his brother. _Come on, Don! Give me a hand here!_

Knowing Don, being the most peaceful one out of them, he probably won't step in until Raph and Leo pull each other's heads off. Leaving Mikey going solo.

Forcing a more cheerful smile, Mikey clapped his hands together. "Okay, then! I'll start then! Leo, bro, I'm sorry I ran off to my room to hide from your demon like wrath and for probably pissing you off even more- BUT, anyway, I am sorry! Now, Raph, apologize for being mean to Leo."

"I ain't apologizin' for shit."

"GOOD APOLOGY, Raphie-!" Mikey smiled, attempting to cut Raph off. "I can almost **feel **the emotion of sympathy flowing in the wind! Now, Don, you apologize for talking back to Leo!"

Don, rolling his eyes, knew to play along with Mikey's game- or else he won't stop the charade. His voice monotone, he squeezed Leo's shoulder. "I'm sorry for talking back to you, Leo."

"There ya go!" Mikey smiled. His plan was working! _Er, well, Raph is too proud for that anyway. I think I even see Leo lighting up a little! _Smiling to Leo, he pointed to his oldest brother. "Now, Leo, it's your turn! Apologize for being so strict and fatherly and dominating over us!"

Raphael chuckled as Donatello slapped his forehead. _Oops. That one was my bad._

"You're absolutely right, Michelangelo." Leo smirked, deep blue eyes beginning to grow even more intense. He forced a laugh as he continued sarcastically, "Wow! I'm sorry that I'm only just looking out for each of you. Oh, wait! I am so sorry for making you guys train harder so that when you go out in a fight, you won't come back as many times as you've all been hurt. But, I am mostly sorry for being **so** fatherly. I didn't think caring about my brothers' safety and protection could be so awful."

"You're so full of yourself, Fearless." Raph hissed, stepping closer to his older brother. "You think just cause' Master Splinter has a tiny cold you think you could play master! Well guess what? Yer no master-!"

Brushing Don off his shoulder, Leo stepped closer to Raph. His voice raises higher, the emotion no longer hiding. "Coming from the guy who goes out every night just to feel more tougher and stronger! How does **that **protect this family?"

"Stop!" Mikey cried, stepping in between his brothers. "C-Come on, guys! I know how much you guys love proving each other wrong but-!"

"Stay out of this, Mike." Raphael warned, shoving his brother to the side.

"Guys, come on." Donatello took a try at stopping his older brothers. "At this rate you two are going to wake Sensei. And he needs all the rest he can."

_Ooooh the guilt card! Nicely done, Donnie! _Leonardo hesitantly backed away from Raphael and nodded. "Fine. We're done for now."

"Finally!" Grabbing Raphael's arm, Mikey attempted to tug his arm toward the door. "How about we play some Resident Evil, Raph? We always make a good team-!"

"Yer leave me to die and take all the ammo," Raphael shook out of his little brother's grip, "no way in hell am I playin'."

"Aw, come on!" Mikey pleaded, watching his brother stroll to his room. _And once he's in there he ain't coming out until dinner...Maybe Don will play with me!_

Adrenaline rushed through him as he skipped his way to Don, who was cleaning up the dojo. "Donnie!" Mikey tackled his brother, putting his arm around Don's shoulder. "How about we play? I'll let you be the cool dude and I'll be the chick!"

Half-laughing, Don removed his brother's arm off his shoulder. "Can't, Mikey. I got to check in on Splinter and call April to pick up more medicine." Making his way out of the dojo, he looked back to his youngest brother and smiled slightly. "Maybe you could check in on Leo. You do owe him an apology, you were pretty harsh on him."

"ME?!" Mikey squeaked, raising his hands in the air. Before he could defend himself, Donatello was already gone. Sighing in defeat, Mikey slouched his back and dragged his feet back in the hallway.

Plopping himself on the floor, he leaned his shell against the wall. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he rested his head on his knees. This wasn't the first time he felt that all his brothers were completely against him. _Shell, all I wanted to do was help. That's what I…always wanted to do. _Why can't his brothers see past that?

_I-I know I like to play jokes and act like an idiot sometimes…but don't they see that I'm not an idiot? O-Or do they really see me as just…that. _ No. Mikey shook off his deep thoughts and pulled himself back up on his feet. There was no way he would let his family see him this way. They'll just think he's whining again for attention.

_B-But, I don't! I just…want to make things right for once. _

And he knew jus where to start!

Mike quickly paced himself over to Leo's room. His door was completely shut. Biting his lip, Mikey hesitated knocking. Leo usually never keeps his door totally closed, that is, unless he wants privacy. _But Donnie's right…_

Mikey did his traditional knocking; knocking twice, then again three times. "Leo? Its me…can we talk for a second or are you sleeping or meditating or-."

Leonardo slowly opened the door halfway, leaning himself against the door frame. His arms crossed, he cleared his throat. His eyes finally reaching his little brother's, Mikey was taken back by the look his oldest had. He was exhausted- whether it was mentally or physically (shell, or even both) he couldn't tell.

"H-Huh?" Mikey snapped out of his dazed thoughts and looked back up at Leo. "OH- uh- look, Leo, I'm…sorry about picking on you before. I totally get how freaked out you are over this-."

"As should you." Leo cut off, his voice becoming deeper with authority. "Remember what I told you at the Battle Nexus? If one of us goes down, we all go down. You need to pick up your slack or…" His voice faded as he looked to the ground, then immediately back up. "…or we will go down too."

"What are you sayin', bro?"

"I'm saying…that if you don't stop fooling around and focus on training with me and the others, we can't trust you in a fight."

"Can't trust me?!" Michelangelo echoed, hurt piercing his voice. His brothers, **brothers, **believed that he'd be nothing but… "You guys think I'm just some kind of…liability to you guys…?"

"I didn't say you were one, Mikey." Leo placed his hand on his youngest shoulder. His voice becoming more comforting. "I'm saying, if you keep slacking off and not working with all of us…then yeah, you're putting us in danger too. And as the leader, I'm not putting Raph and Don in danger too."

_What the shell? L-Leo really sees me as __**that **__much of a weakness that I put Raph and Donnie in trouble..?_

"L-Leo, come on." Mike pleaded, starting to back away from his brother's reach. "I-I mean I joke around with you guys but, when we train I do my part and get it done! Okay, maybe sometimes I get distracted easily a-and I tick you guys off, but I work!"

"Mike!" Leo exclaimed. "Just…get your act straight. I'm not going to tell you again." And with that, Leonardo shut his door. Leaving his youngest drowning in his own brother's words…

./././././././././.

Shutting his eyes tight, he could have swore he heard his brother choke a sob. Sure, his brother was the most sensitive out of them all. And yeah, he took any criticism to heart at times, even while covering it with a joke. But he did it for the best…right?

Leonardo collapsed on his bedside, staring up at his ceiling. _When did things get so crazy? Sensei…I-I don't think I can handle all of this not-._

"_I trust you, my son. You know your brothers well. You will take care of them. Have faith, Leonardo. Just as I have faith in you."_

His heart clenched as his father's words swam around his already filled mind. He knew Raphael was already completely fed up with him, Donatello was too stressed over Splinter's condition, and Mikey…is just in his own world.

At least there, Leonardo knew Mikey didn't have to have the burden of worrying over anything. He can just be himself, laughing, goofing off, cracking jokes, and just acting like things were just the same as they were.

He needs to realize the truth…

Even if it hurts him.


	2. Part 1 (Chapter 2) A Liability

**A**uthor's **N**ote: OH. MY. GOSH. FIRST, I want to thank everyone who has read, favorited/followed and reviewed this story! Because of all the feedback I got- TA DA! This (LONGER!) chapter finally came out! This was totally unplanned, since I have finals coming up I thought my inspiration would be lacking. BUT- I'm being honest here!- I stayed up till' 3AM last night, and now late tonight just so I can finish this! I'm still at the beginning here but, DON'T WORRY!, the story in the description box will make it's way over here! I did have a whole other section at the end I was gonna add, but I'll just save that for the next chapter! THANK YOU GUYS SO SO SO SO MUCH! Again, finals coming up and I'm pretty sure I won't be updating until those are out of my way! But, until then, ENJOY!

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TMNT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN IT!**

...

**A Turtle and his Sisyphus**

…..….

Chapter 2

_"Maybe I'm crazy...Maybe I'm the only one. Maybe I'm just out of touch, maybe I've just had enough..."_

...

Never has the youngest ever felt so still in his life. His never-ending stomach finally reached bottom pit, echoing his entire body to the core. His mind continued rewinding the moments, hearing the words over and over again. Is he really as bad as his brothers say he is?

He felt like he was staring at the door for hours. Waiting for Leonardo to open the door, embrace him, and confess how wrong he was about his accusations of his brother. But, just as Michelangelo predicted, the door remained shut.

"Yo."

Mikey jumped at the different voice, turning his head he forced a smile. "Oh! H-Hey, Raph! Thought you were sleeping or something-."

"Is fearless in there?" Raphael asked bluntly, ignoring Michelangelo's stuttering. Mikey noticed Raph's sudden change of voice as he made his way toward Leo's door. _Raph looks a bit stressed…What's on his shell? _"What are yer doin' here anyway?"

"Uh…" Mikey nervously chuckled as he began to step away from the door. "Uh…I just talked to Leo." Raphael noticed Mikey's wince at the mention of Leo's name, but before he could question his little brother, he quickly changed topics.

"I-Isn't it patrol time? Who's on shift tonight?"

"Beats me. Thought you and Donnie are supposed to be goin'."

"We were but Don insisted on staying with Master Splinter. And, uh, Leo's doing meditations right now so I think it's you and me tonight, Raphie!"

"No, I'll go. You ready, Raph?" Leonardo opened his door, his swords sitting rightfully behind his shell. He gave a nod to Raphael, his eyes still to his youngest. "Stay with Don."

"But, Leo, you went the last three times with all of us!" Mikey whined, determined not to let his big bro win this battle too. "I didn't get to go for days! I need some topside time too!"

"You go topside all the time to get pizza, Mikey. That's plenty of time up there." Leonardo stated, making his way toward the tunnels.

Raphael shifted uncomfortably at the noticeable tension between his oldest and youngest brothers. It was strange to him see Leo and Mikey taking attitudes to each other. _Hmph. Usually it's me getting old fearless' sass. What did the shell-brain do now?_

"I need some action too!" Mikey argued, following Leo's tail. "Well, I'm just gonna come anywa-."

"Michelangelo." Leonardo hissed, abruptly turning to his brother. Leo sighed as he looked at Raphael then to Michelangelo. "I said you are staying with Donatello. You will go on patrol with us when I think it's appropriate."

"Appropriate?!" Mikey echoed, his voice raising an octave. "What am I ten again? You let me go topside for pizza but you won't let me fight with you guys?" Turning to Raph, Mikey desperately pleaded, "Raph, come on, I should be able to go right?"

"I already spoke to you about this." Leonardo stepped in front of Raphael, cutting his brother off. "Go train for a little while, check on Donnie, you're needed here. Raph, let's go." Leo began heading toward the tunnels, his own thoughts racing across his mind.

He always had a different kind of connection with his youngest. Whenever he would get annoyed with Raph, he would verbally argue. With Don, he would let his genius brother get his air. But with Mikey, heck, Mikey is so laid back he usually laughs off anything he says. Leo paced himself out toward the sewers, hoping the colder air shift would help clear his head.

"Yo, fearless." Raphael called, jogging his way to Leo's side. "Pretty harsh on the bone-head, huh? What's the deal?"

"It has nothing to do you with you."

"Geez, sorry I asked." Rolling his eyes, he sarcastically let out a chuckle. Before he could shove his brother playfully, Leo was already running down the tunnels. _Sheez. I __**really **__need to spike his tea someday…_

/././././././././././././././

_No, no, no! This can't be right! I have to run more tests and-_

"D-Don?" Mikey carefully poked his head between the doorway, fighting the powerful urge to cry he forced a cough and slowly let himself in. "How are you doing, Donnie?"

Don feverishly rushed through his desk. _T-This can't be right, I-I have to double check this- why would he lie to us? Is he…? _Almost forgetting his brother's presence, he said, "Huh? I'm busy right now, Mike. I'm sorry but if you want, if Sensei isn't sleeping, you could talk to him? He likes having company."

Scrambling through his pile of papers, he desperately searched for the test results. Sure, maybe he was over doing it. _B-But I can't be wrong this time. What if he's a lot sicker than he's letting on? Sensei wouldn't lie to me would he-? Wait…Mikey!_

Spinging his chair around, he looked for his brother. But there was no one standing at the doorway. _Hm, oh well. Guess I'll catch him later._

/././././././././././././././././

This was foreign to him; why didn't he think of this before? Shell, why didn't he think? This wasn't his thing. Laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, fighting the urge to scream at the top of his lungs.

What would his brothers do?

Leo. He'd meditate for sure; supposedly it calms both the mind and the spirit. Maybe that's why he's so level-headed- _MOST of the time anyway…_

Don. He'd just tinker away until his brain turns to a puddle, drink coffee, then continue working again.

Raph. He'd beat the ever-living out of his punching bag until all his frustrations were gone. For years, Mikey wondered why Raph didn't like to talk about his problems- now coming to think of it, none of his brothers discussed their feelings.

Leo meditates. Raph punches. Don fixes.

When was the last time his brothers coincided in him? He knew that when Leo was feeling pretty down, he'd go to Splinter and (though he'll never admit it) even Raph. Don usually blows off steam to Leo, and every now and then Raph. Raph yells his irritations out to Leo and once he's calm, has a laugh with Donnie.

Whenever he felt down, all his brothers were there to comfort him. Leo would be almost like that "motherly" figure, Raph would be blunt but considerate (_Not like he'd admit to that either!), _and Donnie would help him figure out why he was sad in the first place.

When did his brothers ever go to _him _for comfort? Lots of thoughts came into mind at once: he's the youngest, maybe it's cause they thought he'd just make fun of them, maybe they thought he wouldn't understand, maybe they didn't trust him…

Each thought passing in his mind squeezed his heart so tight that he could feel almost feel the physical pain of the emotion. At first, Mikey didn't realize the flow of tears that escaped his baby blue eyes. _Great, now I'm blubbering like a baby. Like a baby…_

He couldn't stop. The tears continued to flow uncontrollably, his breathing turned ragged, he pulled his pillow over his head. Begging that no one would come in the room, he continued to sob into his sheets. _Weak. That's all I am. Leo's stressed out of his mind, Donnie looks like he's gonna have a meltdown, Raph is more uptight than usual, Splinter is really sick, and what am I doing? How am I helping? When did I ever help…?_

Memories of past fights, past clashes with the Purple Dragons, their last fight with Karai that seemed like years ago…

He helped then- of course he did.

Right?

Suddenly, a gentle knock echoed into Michelangelo's room. The turtle, shot his head up and stared at the door. _Oh shell, can't let anyone see me like this. _Clasping his hand over his mouth, he quickly threw the covers over him and placed the pillow back on his head. He shut his eyes tightly, fighting back the urge to sob once again. _Come on, think I'm sleeping just go…_

He heard his door slowly creak open and a pair of footsteps come closer and closer to him. Finally a voice matched the footsteps, both light and quick. "Mikey, I'm ordering pizza for April to pick up. Do you want your usual or…?"

_Keep quiet dude, doesn't he get the hint I'm not sleeping?! _Staying as still as possible, a few seconds passed by as he heard his brother walk closer to him, shaking his arm.

"Mike. I know you're not sleeping. Don't try to trick me."

"M' tryin' to…" Mikey moaned weakly, desperately hoping he wouldn't choke on a sob. "M' not hungry."

"Michelangelo Hamato _**not **_hungry?" Donatello chuckled, patting his younger brother's head. "Okay, now something's wrong. Are you upset cause I snapped at you in my lab?"

"No." Mikey felt Donnie sit on the edge of his bed. _Greeaaaat the one time you decide to take a break from working_. "D-Don't you have a coffee to make or something…?"

"Ha," Don snickered, giving his brother a gentle shove. "Just so you know, it's being made as we speak!"

"Yay." Mikey replied weakly, still chocking on a sob. He shoved the pillow deeper into his face and faked a cough.

"Now, enough changing subjects, Mikey. Wha-." Both turtles jumped at the sound of Don's shell cell going off. Mikey heard Don snap his phone open and answer, "Leo? Everything okay?...Do you want me and Mikey to-?...Oh…Well, yeah, I gave Sensei medication that will make him drowsy for-…A-Are you sure, Leo? I mean I don't mind staying-….Do you and Raph need anything?...Where are you two?...Okay, I'm on my way."

"Leo?" Mikey asked, still remaining still in his bed. He felt Donatello rise up from his bed and begin to pace toward the doorway.

"Yeah, he and Raph found a old Foot warehouse and need me to hack into the the security system. We shouldn't take long." Donatello hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Uhm…Sensei should be up in a little while. I need you to get up and stay with him. If his condition changes in any way, be sure to write it down. If it's anything huge send me a text or call me, okay?"

"Hm…'kay." Mikey clenched the pillow underneath him tighter as Don's footsteps grew quieter and quieter when finally he heard a door close behind him…

_Figures Leo wouldn't ask me to go…_

/././././././././././././././

High above the rooftop, Leonardo and Raphael stood over the edge as they observed the warehouse building. Cold air blew widely as small flakes of snow began to fall. Both brothers shared a shiver, was it supposed to snow?

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Raph smirked as he took a few steps back to make the leap for the building.

"Wait-!" Leo grabbed his arm and pointed down to the doorway. "See that, Raph? That's one of those security locks in every Foot Base. We need to get in as unnoticed as we can…I better call Don."

Flipping his shell cell he dialed Donnie's number, waiting a few minutes then spoke, "Hey, Don…Yes, Raph and I are fine. We found what looks to be a small Foot base. And, of course, there's one of those locks that you so love to pick. We can use you down here-…No, Mikey needs to stay with Splinter…Will Splinter be okay?...Good…Donnie, you're the only one who can do this. Mikey can handle watching Sensei for an hour….Splinter can't be left alone…No, we don't need anything. Just you….Raph and I are at the docks, on top of the old toy factory…See you soon."

"Great, just great." Raph grumbled as he began fiddling his sais. "Why do we have to wait around for Donnie anyway? If the place looks as empty, let's just smash a window and get in!"

"That keypad looked rather new and functioning. This is a chance for us to, _**silently **_finally see what the Foot have been doing for months."

"Hmph…I'm gettin' sick of bashin' Purple Dragons anyway."

"Leo! Raph!" Donatello leaped from the building behind them and jogged his way to his older brothers. Catching his breath he gave a quick wave, "Sorry I took a while, I had to pack and few things and set the security code. Are there Foot inside?"

"Not that we can tell, but I wouldn't be surprised. Probably no more than a dozen."

"Security cameras around the area?"

"No, all in the clear."

"Hm…a high tech lock code, but no pretty cameras to go with it?" Donnie question out loud to himself. "I mean…I've picked many locks of theirs before. If something was so juicy in there, wouldn't they take every measure possible to be sure we wouldn't get in?"

Raphael's irritation began to rise as he kicked the nearest stonewall. "Who cares?! Let's just get in' there!"

"Hold a sec, Raph!" Leo hissed, then turned to face his second youngest. "You have a point, but it's worth checking out. Let's move out." Sweeping down off the building, Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of danger nearby…

/./././././././././././././././

Forcing himself up out of his bed, he slowly made his way into Master Splinter's room. He hasn't seen his father since he fell ill. That made him feel pretty crappy, after all whenever he was sick or hurt, Sensei sat beside him during the day.

Hesitantly he knocked on the door and slowly opened it, "S-Sensei?" Mikey whispered loudly, hoping he didn't wake his father. "S-Sensei?"

"Yes, my son?" Sitting up in his bed, as if he was expecting Donatello to check up on him, a small smile lighted his face. "Oh! Michelangelo, how are you my son? You do not look well."

_Don't cry. Don't be selfish. Sensei's really sick, you're checkin in on him, not blubbing about your feelings. _

"I didn't get much sleep, I'm all good."

"Michelangelo, you cannot lie to your own father. I can feel much distress in your spirit, what is wrong?"

_No, I can't just pour out to him. I need to focus on him, I got to focus on Sensei. _Taking a seat next to Splinter, he grabbed Donnie's notepad and forced a smile. "Just tired! Well, while Donnie is gone, I'll be your nurse! How are you feeling, Sensei? Donnie said that you'd be sleeping until he'd come back…"

"Where is Donatello?" Sensei asked quickly, looking tenser then before.

"U-Uh…Leo and Raph went for their patrol and called Donnie in for something. Donnie said they wouldn't be long-."

"Hm…And why are you not with your brothers, my son?"

"Uhm…well you can't exactly be left alone! A-And…They needed Donnie, so, I stayed here." Mikey pleaded that his father would be able to buy his story. After all, someone _did _have to watch Sensei and Donnie _is _the best to pick locks. But, the sense of betrayal still stung his heart. Forcing a cough to break the silence, he smiled, "So, as I was saying, how are you feeling?"

"Much, much better. Donatello's medicine is helping me recover greatly. I am very thankful for him, for all of you."

Mikey smiled as he gave his signature grin and thumbs up, "And us for you, Sensei! You hungry? I can make you anything you'd like-!"

"Actually, my son, I wanted to talk about you…" A wrinkled grin stretched across his face. "I may be getting older, and I may be under the weather, but I can still sense when something is troubling my sons; especially you, Michelangelo."

Chuckling under his breath, he slowly raised his head up. "I'm that obvious?"

"Hm. Every since you were very small, you held to me the most. Unlike your brothers, you showed no shame in expressing your feelings. Especially to me when you were young." Mikey jumped at the warm hand touching his shoulder. Looking up at his father, he continued, "Michelangelo. Having as many feelings as you do is not a weakness. Having the ability to read people and their emotions is good, something that many do not have. But, you must express yourself too, my son. Especially to your brothers. I sense much tension between you four."

"Y-Yeah…" Mikey trembled, his eyes back to narrowing the floor. "Leo and I got into a fight. But, I mean, he's right. I…" _NO! NO! This isn't about you! You need to be jotting down Sensei's changes! You need to be asking him how he feels! Offer tissues! _"OH! I was supposed to take your temperature! Donnie will kill me! A-And you weren't supposed to be up for a while, I'll have to tell em' that too…"

"My son," Splinter began. But his sentence was cut off as Michelangelo shoved the thermometer in his mouth.

"NO TALKING, SENSEI!" Mikey announced in his best impression of Donatello's authority voice. He sat up straight and continued his charade, "Hm…Let's see…No fever so far, woke up earlier than supposed to, how is your appetite?"

_At least seeing him smile is worth it…_

/././././././././././././././

"Almost done there, Donnie?"

"Yeah, braniac, not like we got all the time in the world."

"I'm working as fast as I can! You two try hacking into a 2000 LockPock with an upgraded mega-hard drive with- DONE!" Smiling in victory, the door made a loud snapping sound. Gently pushing the door open, he waved his brothers behind him. "Come on!"

Leonardo stepped in front of Donatello and began leading his brothers down the narrow hallway. Darkness engulfed the whole warehouse. Leo squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness around him. "Don," he whispered, "got a light?"

"Yep!" A small light shined down the hallway.

"Don, stay behind me. Raph cover the rear. Remember, we may not be alone." Slowing making his way forward. The hallway didn't last for long until Leo slowly turned the doorknob that lead to the next room.

"Looks like no one has been here for months…" Donnie mumbled, shining the light on some of the equipment. "Looks like just a regular lab to me. You sure this is Foot, Leo?"

"Yes." Leo hissed, rummaging through some of the paperwork. "Raph and I saw someone com in ourselves. Keep searching, and stick together…"

Leonardo stepped lightly as he maneuvered his way around the desks. Each desk had their own sets of piles of papers. "Seems like just plain old paperwork…"

"Think this could've been a distraction? Trap?" Raphael carefully shuffled around the lab, eyeing every corner he could.

"I-It would make sense…Lead us away from the Lair, but why?" Donatello questioned carefully, watching his oldest brother continue to rummage through papers. "I set the alarm systems for the lair on my phone as well, just in case it goes off we'll know. But I should probably call Mikey, give him a heads up."

"Yeah," Leo breathed, lowering his head in defeat. How could he be so careless? He should have known it was going to be a trap. He should have known better than to put his family at risk. He should have known better than to leave Mikey alone with Splinter. "I'll call him."

/./././././././././././././././

"Michelangelo, I don't think it's a wise idea to-."

"Aw, but Klunk loves you, Sensei! And you two need to bond more!" Placing the, now bigger, kitten on Splinter's lap, Mikey smiled as he pet Klunk's ear. "You try!"

Hesitantly, Splinter pet behind Klunk's other ear. The kitten purred as he rubbed against Splinter's paw.

Mikey smiled from ear to ear as he jumped up and down in his seat. "AW! Look, Sensei, he _**does **_love you! He just loves attention!"

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Red lights flashed throughout the lair accompanied by a loud wailing noise. Splinter sat up in his bed as Michelangelo rushed over to Donnie's computer. "N-No worries, Sensei! It's probably just sewer rats again!" Opening up the security system software, Mikey quickly scanned the security cameras surrounding the lair. "I don't see anything…It could be-."

RING. RING. RING

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

RING. RING. RING.

"Ah! Too many noises!" Mikey flipped open his shell-cell and pressed it against his ear as his eyes continued to scan the cameras. "Kinda busy at the moment! Can you call back later?"

"Mikey!" Donnie cried on the other line. "What's going on?! Is Sensei okay?! We're on our way back now, keep the doors locked!"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, Don! I got this!" Mikey's eyes widened as he saw about a dozen Foot soldiers breaking into the main door. "Oh shell…"

_I got to do something! The others aren't gonna make it back in time. And Master Splinter! He can't do anything in his state. I gotta make sure he's safe! They must know he's here…_

"Michelangelo! You must go, find your brothers, leave me here-!"

"No!" Mikey shouted, not realizing how panicked he sounded. His thoughts were racing so fast in his mind, he couldn't think straight. _Gotta do something, Gotta do something-!_

"Mikey?! Mike! Michelangelo! What's going on? Where is Sensei?"

Mikey scanned his eyes quickly around Don's lab. _There's got to be a way to protect Sensei…Think Mikey, think! WAIT-! I GOT IT! _Mikey smiled quickly at the memory. Donnie got so sick and tired of him walking in on his experiments, he made an automatic lock door than can only be unlocked on the inside. _That's it! Now where is that control…?!_

"My son, what are you doing?!"

"Mikey! Damn it, answer me!"

"S-Sorry, Don!" Flipping his shell-cell shut and putting back in his belt, he rushed toward the doorway and punched the red button on the keypad. Looking up to Master Splinter, he put on his best smile, "Don't worry, Sensei! You'll be safe! I'll take care of this!" Pushing the lock button, he shut the door closed behind him. He could hear Splinter's weaken cry echo through the room, making Mikey's heart rip in half. "I-I'm sorry, Sensei. But this time, I'm gonna protect you."

_I'm gonna show them-! I'm not a liability! _

Pulling out his nunchucks, he rushed himself toward the front of the lair. He could feel his heart pounding. _Think, Mikey, think! Got to lead them out of here somehow! H-How did they even find the lair here?! I got to get them out of-!_

The door busted open as a dozen Foot ninja came running in. Mikey bit his lip as he snickered to the ninja, "HEY! The party ain't here, dudes! You want the real deal?! Follow me!" Swinging his nunchucks at the first few around him, he ran back out into the sewers. Hearing the footsteps echo behind him, he turned his head, counting the Foot members. _Yes! Got all of them on my tail! Now…lead them off somewhere!_

Footsteps echoed loudly behind him as Mikey pushed himself to run faster. _Why are they even here in the first place?! And why aren't they attacking?! _The footsteps began grow lower and lower until Mikey only heard his own splashing against the sewer water. Catching his breath, he looked behind him and found them all standing together in one line.

Smiling, he gripped his stance and in between breaths, chuckled, "Done chasing? Want an actual fight?!"

The foot remained still, eerily still for Mikey's liking. Why weren't they going after him? Was this just a distraction to get Splinter? _No, he's safe. There's no way! I-I saw! _

Suddenly, the dozen made a leap toward Michelangelo, their weapons bare and aimed right for the youngest turtle. "Oh, shit!" Taking a few steps back, he gained as much adrenaline as he could before leaping in attack.

Swinging his 'chucks, he managed to hit about four of them unconscious. Mikey shrieked as he felt a sai slash down his right arm, accompanied by a kick in his gut sending him flying face first into the sewer water. Jumping onto his feet, he suddenly found himself pinned back against the water. "Get off!" Kicking the Foot straight in the gut, the sound of a metal plate echoed in the sewers. "W-What the hell?!"

The Foot grasped Mikey's arm tightly as he took out his sword and pierced it through his shoulder. Crying out in pain, Mikey gripped the sword's blade as he tried to remove it from his shoulder.

Before he could scream any louder, the Foot squeezed this throat tightly. A unemotional, almost robotic, voice demanded, "Where. Is. Leonardo?"

"N-No!" He frantically tried to release himself from the Foot's hard, cold, grip.

"Come. Others. Coming." The Foot clenching Mikey quickly pulled out his sword and rushed out along with the others. Leaving the youngest left in tremendous pain and confusion.

_W-What just happened? Why were they talking so weird…And when I kicked that Foot, he was hard as a rock! Maybe they aren't Foot- AGH! _Putting pressure on his shoulder, he struggled to stand. "G-Gotta head back to the lair…Got to make sure Sensei is okay…" Dragging his numb body down the sewer tunnels, he fought the urge to collapse. For what seemed like ages, Mikey found his exhausted body complying with his preservation to push through to the lair. Voices echoed down the tunnels as he got closer and closer to the entrance…

"Maser Splinter! S-Sensei! Answer me!"

"Great thinkin', Don! Making a lock that can only unlock on the inside, what were yer thinkin'?!"

"Don, there has to be a way for you to get access in there!"

"G-Guys shut up! I'm trying! I didn't intend for this to happen! I-I don't know how Sensei managed to lock himself in there! I didn't tell anybody about the lock!"

"Master Splinter! Mikey! Open the door!"

_They think I'm with Splinter?...WAIT- HE'S STUCK IN THERE?! _Struggling through the entrance, Mikey gasped at the sight in front of him. The whole living room was wrecked, everything turned upside down, as if someone was desperately searching for something specific. _I-I was sure that they all followed me…_

"Leo, what If Sensei's really hurt in there! T-T-This is all my fault, I should have prepared for this, I-It was just a test run I didn't think this could-!" The door made a low click noise as Donnie smiled and quickly opened the door, "S-SENSEI!"

Splinter was sleeping soundly in his bed, or so it seemed. But to the doctor of the house, something just seemed out of place. Donnie rushed to his father's side along with Leo and Raph and began checking his father. "He must have fainted, his pulse is normal but he does seem a bit feverish."

"How did Sensei manage to get up and lock the door? And where's Mikey?" Raph asked, searching the lab for the youngest.

"You and Raph look for him, I'll-."

"Sorry 'm late…" Mikey smirked slightly before collapsing on his knees.

"Mikey!" The brothers cried as they rushed to their youngest. Donnie was the first to notice the amount of blood flowing down his brother's arm and the gaping hole in his shoulder. "Raph, clear my desk! Leo, I'm gonna need either you or Raph's blood in a bit! Mikey's loosing a lot!"

Ever since his mutation months ago, Donnie knew that mixing his blood with any of his brothers could get them sick, and he didn't need another sick family member in the house. Lifting his brother onto the desk, he used his mask to stop the blood flow from his shoulder. "Mikey, you're gonna be okay. But you got to tell me what happened-."

"Master Splinter is critically sick, how could you just leave him _**alone**_?!" Leo's holler made even Raph jump at the sudden rashness that sprang from Leo's tone. Standing next to his youngest, Leo continued his interrogation, "What were you thinking- locking him in here all by himself! You should have stayed in here with him and waited for us to come back! How could you be so reckless?!"

"I was trying to protect him!" Sitting up, Mikey ignored Donnie's pleas to lay down. Getting face to face with his oldest, Mikey couldn't fight the flow of tears that escaped his eyes. "I-I-I was just trying to protect him! I knew he'd be safe in here-!"

"And going out there, alone, putting yourself at risk is _**protecting **_him?!" Leo howled back. "What if they got in here?! You could have gotten yourself killed and put Sensei in danger!"

Raphael stood beside his oldest brother awkwardly. Never has Leo been this reprimanding on Mikey, usually he's on Mikey's end. Feeling for his youngest, he hesitantly place his hand on his shoulder. "Leo, chill."

"I-I was just trying to protect him!" Mikey screamed louder, sobbing in between his breaths. "I-I thought he'd be safe! H-He said he was fine! I-I was just protecting him! I-I'm sorry, Leo! I tried…!"

"That's enough!" Donnie shouted, stepping between his brothers. "Mikey, I need you to calm down you're increasing your blood pressure and straining yourself. Leo, I need you to leave. I need to work in peace-." Before he could finish his sentence, Leo rushed out of the room, heading for the dojo he slammed the doors shut.

Mikey fought the urge to cry anymore as he lowered his head to his knees and continued to cry. Raphael looked up at Donatello helplessly, not sure what either of them should do about the situation.

"It's going to be okay, Mikey." Donnie rubbed the back of Mikey's shell as he simultaneously tried to patch up his youngest. "Sh, I'm here, it's going to be okay…Raph, go check on Leo. I got Mikey and Splinter."

Mikey continued to sob until the sedative Donnie gave him made him pass out. Conflicting emotions bottling up inside him ever so tightly…wondering if any of his brothers would understand...

/./././././././././././


	3. Part 1 (Chapter 3) Birds of a Feather

**A**uthor's Note: HI EVERYONE! I first want to thank everyone who wished their condolences on my recent lost, and most of all, for understanding my lack of update. I'm doing much better now, and even though things are still crazy here, i'm doing a-okay and ready to get back into the story! I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good, I did most of the writing when I was still blah- but WE'RE HEADING TO WHERE THE SUMMARY WILL MAKE SENSE SOON ENOUGH- MUAHAHAHAH- okay. As usual, thank you all for the favorites/reviews/follows/readers! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

**D**isclaimer: I do not own TMNT nor the song lyrics of "Maybe" by Sick Puppies

...

**A Turtle and his Sisyphus**

…..….

_"Maybe it's time to change, and leave it al behind."_

/./././././././././././

_STUPID. STUPID. STUPID! _Pounding each emotion into the punching bag, Leo now knew why Raph loved to take it out on this. This wasn't like him- no, this **wasn't **him. He had to be perfect, he just had to be the one figure that his brothers would look up to. How could he be so careless- letting a distraction pass by him?

Now Master Splinter…

"_My son, whatever comes upon me. You must promise me you will be strong, Leonardo."_

"_No! Please, Sensei, don't! Please, you're going to be okay! Don't ask me to do your job, Master. I'm not ready- I can't!"_

"_Leonardo, my brave, brave son. Have faith my son, just as your brothers and I have faith in you…"_

"Leo," Raph slowly made his way to his brother, unsure of how to approach his new hot-headed leader. He felt weird approaching his oldest brother, usually it was Leo who'd be the one to clear his head. _Heh, well, he attempts before it turns into a fistfight but still-. _"Look…we all make mistakes, 'kay? We all screwed up, so stop beatin' yerself up over this, Fearless. Donnie and Mikey need ya-."

"I don't need a pep talk, Raph." Leo rubbed his eyes quickly before sending another punch at the bag. "Let alone from you." Leonardo felt the sting of his own words, but hell he just couldn't hold it on anymore. He couldn't dare look into Raphael's eyes, he couldn't see the look he was giving. _I failed Sensei. I failed Mikey…Now Raph._

That was it for Raphael. A deep part of him felt that he should let his brother talk about his feelings. _But, damn it! _His teeth clenched together, biting back his tongue. Leonardo is supposed to be the level headed one. He shouldn't be acting this way- he **can't **be acting this way. Not when everything was turning to hell.

Gripping his punching bag tightly he shoved it with all his strength sending Leonardo falling onto his back. Before Leo could protest, Raphael pounced on top of him and held his arms down. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You've been a dick to everyone lately, especially Mikey. What's your deal?"

"Let. Me. Go!" Leonardo thundered, attempting to escape his brother's firm grip. Kicking his brother in his knee, Leo took full advantage of the situation. As Raphael grimaced in pain, Leo crawled away from his brother and jumped back on his feet.

Leonardo trembled at the sight of his brother's struggle. His heart ached with guilt. He couldn't have hurt his brother- no- he was the protector. He **can't **do that. Quaking, Leo's voice stuttered as he muttered, "J-Just leave me alone, Raph. For once, do me a favor and just go. Please…"

Raphael growled as he slowly recovered from the attack. Since when did Leo get so fierce at him? Hell, he's never seen his brother look as weak as he did now. _Jesus, what stick is up everyone's ass? _"Obviously yer shouldn't be left alone if yer are beating the non-livin' shit out of **my **punchin' bag, and myself for that matter."

"Raph," Leonardo warned as he continued to strike the bag. "please, Raph."

"Just give me a fuckin' good excuse and yer can be all emo with my bag all yer want."

"It's Sensei!" Leo exploded, finally collapsing on his knees. Leonardo choked on a sob as he gripped the bag tightly. "H-He's not gonna make it, Raph."

Raphael was taken back at his brother. Master Splinter? Not going to make it? Impossible. Sure, Sensei has gotten older through the years and wasn't as young as he used to be- but how could Leo just jump to conclusions like that? Shaking his head, Raphael barked, "Don't say shit like that! It's just a goddamn cold, he'll be fine."

"He's not! It's the truth!" He hollered back, now facing his brother. Tears brined the edges of his eyes as he held is breath, knowing if he would, he would break. He cleared his throat, his voice still small, and spoke, "Raph…He told me himself."

"That doesn't mean anything." Raph said firmly. Carefully treading toward his brother, he unfolded his arms and stood a few feet away from Leonardo. Sighing, he carefully sat himself next to Leo. "Sensei's strong. Donnie is gonna fix him up. And," Raphael added with a smirk. "Yer don't have'ta take the burden alone yer know, Fearless. So stop beatin' yer 'self up like a jerk-off won't, ya?"

Leonardo, acknowledging his brother's attempt at being loving, smiled as he patted his brother's shoulder. "Thanks, Raph. I'm sorry for being a…uh, what did you call me again?"

"A dick."

"Heh," Leo chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right. I just, Sensei being so ill lately I'm just worried, you know? And Donnie has been so stressed lately he's gonna get sick too, you've been…"

"I've been what?!"

"Well…Good!"

Raphael raised his eyebrow as he crossed his arms. Leonardo smiled nervously, as he got up on his feet. "R-Raph! I meant that in a good way! You haven't been going topside at night like I said and-!"

Silence.

"Raph."

"What."

"You've been going topside haven't you."

"Course' not, Fearless Leader. I wouldn't dare."

Silence.

Rolling his eyes, Leonardo sighed, "Right. Of course you haven't."

"Besides," Raphael added as he got up and began making his way out of the dojo. "You should be apologizing to Mikey too." Making sure his brother got his message, Raphael turned around. Leo was standing exactly where he was, his eyes glued to the ground. "Yer did get 'little harsh on the bone-head."

"Yeah…" Leonardo hesitated, shaking his head away from his thoughts. "You're right, Raph. I'll talk to him." Waiting until his brother left the dojo, Leonardo returned to the punching bag. Hoping with a few more strikes, all his worries will go away.

He can only hope.

/./././././././././././././

"Please be okay." Donatello whispered as he placed the cold cloth on Splinter's forehead. Doubling checking his temperature, Don haste to jot down his new symptoms. _Not as hot as before, but still warmer than usual. His hands are still pretty cold, gotta warm them up somehow. His pulse rate is about normal, considering his current state. _Tucking his sheets once again, Donnie forced a smile as he looked back at his father once again. _I swear, Sensei. I'm going to get you better. Like every other time._

"D-Don?" Feeling the weight of his body begin to hit him, Michelangelo slowly sat himself up in the cot. His eyes adjusting to the room, he found his older brother at his laptop (as per usual these past few days) sitting beside Sensei as he rested in the bed. Donatello picked his head up, then suddenly put his laptop aside as he rushed to Mikey.

"Mikey!" Donnie chimed as he rushed over to his side. "You've been out for a couple of hours, how are you feeling? Any better?"

Rubbing his head he yawned before answering, "Yeah, my shoulder still kinda hurts but I'll be okay…" His eyes wandered over to his still father, who slept peacefully across the room. Mikey bit his lip as he held his sheets tighter as he pulled them closer to him, his voice shaking, "I-Is Sensei going to be okay…?"

Looking over at Master Splinter, then back to his brother, Donatello smiled. "Of course, Mikey. Just give him some time. He'll be okay soon." Mikey smiled at his brother's words. Surely if it came out of Donnie's mouth, it's just has to be factual. Even growing up, if Don would tell him that it does in fact rain cats and dogs, Mikey believed him in a second. After all, why would he doubt his smartest brother?

"That's good," Watching his brother make his way back to work, Mikey swung his legs over and slowly hopped off the bed. "I'm just going to-."

"Don't strain that shoulder of yours." Donnie called from his work desk, his eyes focused on his laptop. "No heavy lifting or pressure on it for too long, got it?"

"I hear ya, doc." Making his way out of the lab, he hesitantly looked around the lair. He noticed that no one has gotten around yet to cleaning up the mess that the Foot have left. The furniture was turned upside, papers that were around the table were scattered everywhere, cabinets were opened wide. _If Master Splinter saw this mess, he'd punish us forever! _

Michelangelo tip-toed his way around the lair, the destruction of his home finally kicking in. This was his fault. _Why were they here? What were they looking for? Why were the Foot so…Robotic? Why did one of them ask for Leo? _

"Hey."

Jumping to the new voice, Mikey turned around and bit his lip at the sight of his brother. Looking like he just fought off a whole Foot army, he looked defeated and troubled. Nervously looking away, Mikey gulped, "L-Leo! Hi…"

Leonardo, standing closer to his brother, locked his eyes on his youngest brother. His voice was more quieter than usual, he muttered, "How's your shoulder?"

"Fine." Mikey cleared his throat and awkwardly took a few steps further way from his brother. Leo watched his brother's movements, guilt kicking in. _No wonder he doesn't wanna be near me. I was…harsh._

"Mike, can we talk, please?"

"We are talking, dude."

"Can you come here, then?"

"I'm right here."

"Mike," Though his voice was softer, it still stung with annoyance as he raised his eyebrow. "Okay, then. Look, I'm sorry for being…hard on you. What happened with Splinter wasn't entirely your fault."

Mikey rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he huffed. He knew his brother would some-what still blame him for screwing up. He felt both unmoved by his brother's words, and yet still betrayed. He knew that he nearly got himself and Splinter killed, but hearing Leo say it- still hurt like hell.

He remembered when they were younger; Leo was very motherly over him. Whenever he'd got hurt while playing with Raph, he'll let Donnie fix him up but then cry to Leo about it. And he'd just let Mikey hug him. Raph would have just shoved him off and Donnie would have just stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to react to the affection. Leonardo made Mikey feel both safe and loved.

Looking at his oldest brother now, Mikey grimaced as he glued his eyes to the floor. "I know…"

Leonardo frowned; Mikey never shut him out this much before. Hell, Mikey would be the one to open up to him most easily. Usually with Raph he'd have to beat it out of him, and with Donnie he'd have to insist for his brother to confess. Mikey- being so free spirited- didn't take too long for him to open up. What is holding his baby brother back this time?

A small smile stretched across his face as he slowly place his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Thinking of yourself before Master Splinter was very strong of you. It was brave what you did." His smile faded, his voice gaining it's strength back. "And reckless, and dangerous, and idiotic-!"

"I get it!" Mikey pouted as he wiggled his way out of his brother's reach. Crossing his good arm over his other, he knew in order to get Leo off his back- he'd have to fake it. _Let's hope my charm still works on em'! _Smiling as best he could, he laughed, "Hello! You're talking to the Battle Nexus Champion! I know what I'm doin'!"

"Of course you are…" Leonardo rolled his eyes. _Am I ever going to get through that head of his? _Figuring he wasn't going to get any further with his youngest, he simply ruffled his head. Following with a light smack.

"OW!" Mikey cried dramatically, rubbing the back of his head. "What the hell was that for? Leonardo smirked as he made his way into Donnie's lab.

"Wait!" Mikey cried out. He had to tell Leo about his encounter with the Foot. He had to tell him how they were not normal! He had to tell him…that they were asking for him! _Leo could be in danger! Shell, how did I completely forget about that?! _Pacing himself back into Donnie's lab, he grabbed the door handle to open the door. As he turned the doorknob, he heard his brother's voices…

"How is he doing, Donnie?"

"Better, but he's not out of the woods yet. His fever is steadily declining, pulse is slowly getting back to normal-."

"That's all good things! See, Donnie? I knew he was going to be-!"

"Leo…He has pneumonia. He's going to need a lot more time then his body is giving him."

_Pneumonia? _Mikey leaned as much closer to the door as his body would let him. He remembered when Raph caught pneumonia when they were five. It was bad, real bad. Memories of the fear of loosing his brother still stuck in the back of his memory. Why didn't his brothers tell him about Splinter being that sick? _I thought he had just a cold! That's what Sensei said…!_

"What do you mean, 'more time then his body his giving him'?"

There were a few moments where no one spoke. Only hearing his heartbeat echo in his hears, his curiosity begging him to open the door and find out himself what is going on. Finally, a voice breaks through to save him from his own insanity!

"Yer do know yer can just open the door, right?"

_CRAP- IT'S RAPH! _Clasping his hands over his mouth, attempting to hold back a scream, Mikey jumped a few feet away from the door- bumping into Raph in the process. "Dude," Mikey whispered, puling Raph away from the door. "I'm in the middle of eavesdropping on a very important conversation!"

"I couldn't tell." Raphael muttered sarcastically, shaking Mikey's grasp off of his shoulder. Noticing the bandaged cloth wrap about his shoulder, he asked, "Don't yer need to be in a bed or somethin'?"

"Na, it's just a scratch!"

Raphael hated to admit it, but Mikey always did have a soft spot in him. Mikey would be the one he'd turn to fight the monsters that were in his closets, the one chase away the bad dreams, the one to protect him. He'd never admit it out loud, of course, but he felt partially responsible for Michelangelo's injury. Crossing his arms, Raph eyed his youngest brother's mannerism. "Sure don't look like it. What the hell happened, anyway?"

"Uh…" Mikey sighed, looking back down at the floor. "It was the Foot. But it wasn't the Foot-!"

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked as he and Donatello emerged from the lab and joined their brothers.

_Greaaat. Now I gotta tell everyone how I screwed up. Yay. _"Well…There were about a dozen Foot, right? Uh. They attacked me but…I kept on taunting them like usual and they didn't react normally- thinking about it- they didn't even budge! When I kicked one of them, they didn't even wince or fall back or nothing! And it was hard! Like- they were made of metal or something! And one of them got me down and asked me where Leo was. Then they just left like that-! It was weird…!"

"But, what was the point of sabotaging the lair? Hell, how did they even find the lair in the first place?" Donatello inquired, looking at each of his brothers. "If the Foot know where we are now-."

"Dude, that's exactly my point!" Michelangelo exclaimed, waving his hands frantically. Attempting to get his brothers attention, he cried, "I don't think the guys that attacked me were Foot. They looked like them, but their voices were robotic and their fighting stances were not like the Foot we normally fight!"

Evaluating the destruction of their home, Donatello questioned, "Robotic Foot ninja? Why would somebody put the effort into making us believe that the Foot were attacking us?"

"I'm more concerned at the fact that someone knew where the lair was." Leonardo looked over at each of his brothers. "Are you **sure** none of you were followed back here?"

"Positive. I take a different route home every time I meet up with April." Don stated confidently.

"How would I know? I don't go out on my own." Raphael answered innocently, a smug smile still showing.

Glaring at his brother, Leonardo crossed his arms and warned, "Raph."

Chuckling, he shook his head and replied, "No. I don't. Same story as Don's."

All three turtles gave looks to Michelangelo, who was now looking down at the floor. He could feel the eyes of his brother fixed on him, each of them expecting the similar answer. Humming any tune he could think of, Mikey shuffled his feet hoping that maybe- just maybe- they would just skip over him. Sure, he checked that he didn't spot anyone following him when he picked up pizza. _Er- except that ONE time when I thought I heard someone…But that was like- WEEKS ago! Surely it wasn't me…It wasn't! No! _

"It wasn't me!" Mikey exclaimed, hoping his "puppy" eyes would tug at least one of his brothers' heartstrings. "H-Honest!"

Leonardo, knowing that he wasn't going to get a straight answer, rolled his eyes and sighed. "Nonetheless someone followed one of us. Raph, help me clean up the living room. Whatever they were looking for it had to be in here. Don, see if you can look at the surveillance videos from the attack. Also update the security perimeters, we don't want another incident like this to happen."

Raph and Don nodded at their orders and got to work. Mikey looked up at his oldest brother helplessly. He could tell that Leo was still ticked off at him, praying that Leo would leave him out of something- _yet again! _Crossing his arms, Leonardo spoke, "Mikey. Just rest up, okay? You look tired."

_And strike two. That's twice in one day Leo shoved me under the buss and have it run over me three times in a row. _Not wanting to start yet another argument with his brother, he simply nodded and headed straight for his room. Closing the door behind him, he drag himself back into his bed.

Not even a few hours ago, he was lying in the same bed. Thoughts about the day's events began to pour back onto him. He couldn't help but feel the pain strike him once again. _Why didn't my brothers' believe me? Hell, they just threw my ideas completely aside like I was crazy or something._

And for once, he started to believe it.

/././././././././././././././

Rummaging through the devastation of their home, Raphael fixed the furniture as Leonardo went through the scattered papers on the floor. It varied from Donnie's research on quantum physics, to Splinter's crossword puzzles, Raph's TV Guide for Wrestling, old newspapers from days ago, and of course one of Mikey's pizza boxes.

"Are we this messy?" Leonardo asked out loud to himself, putting aside the important papers and the garbage. "Shell, I thought we left this place semi-clean…"

"April usually does it for us." Raph commented, lifting the lounge chair and putting it back in it's place. "Wonder what the Foot were lookin' for anyway."

"I wish I knew." A small light flashed in the corner of his eye, making Leonardo jump over to the source. Inside the pizza box, sat a small silver chip, blinking red every few seconds. "Raph!"

Raphael rushed to his side and examined the small device. "What the fuck is that?"

"I have no idea. It could be a tracking device, voice-recording device…what's this doing in Mikey's pizza box in the first place?" Carefully removing the device from the box, he gently placed it at the palm of his hand. "Better show Donnie." Pacing himself to Don's lab, he abruptly opened the door and placed the device in front of his brother. "Found this in one of Mikey's pizza boxes can you figure out what it is?"

"Hm…" Examining the tiny device, Donatello swipped it under his microscope and took a few moments to inspect it. Then carefully prying it open, he said, "From what I can tell, it's definitely not a bomb so that's good. I don't see any microphones or anything like that so…And I don't see a tracking device either."

"What else can it be, then?" Leonardo inquired, his voice full with worry. "Why put it there in the first place?"

"It looks more like a…almost like a MP3 player, like there's something to listen to inside of it but I can't bypass it. I'll have to work on it. But, from what I can tell, there's some kind of recording on here."

"Why would someone put a recording on it that makes you hack into it to listen to it?"

"And it was inside the pizza box," Raphael added, standing beside Donatello. "How could have Mikey ate the pizza and **not **notice it? He's pretty observant at this kinda stuff…"

"As soon as I hack into it, I'll let you both know."

Leonardo worriedly looked at both his younger brothers. Splitner's ill. The Foot attacked the lair. A weird device left for him to figure out. What else can go wrong?

Oh, how he knew that deep down, he'll find out soon enough.

/./././././././././././././././

_Yes. Yes. Yes. It's all falling into place now. Soon enough, they will all be mine. _Smiling proudly at his accomplishments, John Bishop leaned back in his leather chair and took a sip of his whiskey. Like was good. His creation was near complete, he set the clues for the turtles, and hell, his best soldiers even confirmed a blood sample- this was a good evening indeed.

"Sir, we've recovered the blood sample as you wished."

Smiling at the news, he leaned in closer to the intercom and spoke, "Very good. Process with phase delta."

"B-But sir," The monotone voice insisted, "T-The…creation is not ready yet. We have to fix the minor details. He is not ready yet."

"Then I suggest you get to it." Shutting the communication off, Bishop took another sip out of his glass. Yes. He will finally get what he always wanted.

The satisfaction of getting research on the turtles that he longed for…

And the anticipation of what is to come…

Oh, how he loved test subjects that could talk.

With a voice, comes a scream.

_Oh yes, there will be plenty of those. _

/./././././././././././././


	4. Part 2 (Chapter 4) Hallucinations

**A**uthor's **N**ote: WHOA. OKAY. I got some more explain' to do, don't I? Okay, well, first I want to thank everyone who reviewed/favorited/read/alerted this story! All of you guys mean the world to me! Secondly, I wanted to apologize for not updating for such a long time. On top of being back into the gist of my second semester of college, my work load as well as my hours at work (running around with preschoolers and taking care of infants) increased quite a bit. On top of that, I was busy making my Valentine's Day gift for the _TMNTXCHANGE_ on Tumblr-! BUT- I'm not abandoning this story! It may take me a little while to update, but it will come! **FUN FACT ABOUT THIS CHAPTER**- **I did NOT originally plan to take this route for the story**. I planned out what I want the ending to be, and the middle/climax to look like, but the beginning I've been playing by ear. I kinda like the way this is going, and, (I know I said this before), BUT the summary of this story will begin to make sense too! (P.S: I'm so so so sorry if this chapter is kinda crappy, been going through an emotional week and kinda took it out on Mikey...heh...I hope it's not too OOC- I TRIED!)

**D**isclaimer**: **I do not own TMNT or the song lyrics of "Maybe" by Sick Puppies

...

**A Turtle and His Sisyphus**

…..….

_"I've never been one to walk alone, I've always been scared to try."_

...

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. _

Leonardo anxiously waited on Splinter's bedside. Hoping that maybe for a moment, his ill father could awaken with words of wisdom for him. Maybe he'd know how to handle this situation. Hell, if Master Splinter were here, he'd be able to fix everything before it escalated to what it was now. Looking over to his brother, Donatello still hovered over that small device that he had discovered earlier. He could see his second youngest brother's eyes grow heavier and heavier with every blink.

_Donnie, won't you ever cut yourself some slack? _Getting on his feet, Leonardo walked over to Don. Leaning on his brother's shoulders with both his hands, he gave him a gentle shake. "Don, it's getting late. We've had a long day. You can look at that in the morning, right?"

Turning his head slightly enough so that Leo could see a smile, he remarked, "I've still got my coffee, a ton of tests to run, and fixing up the living room."

"Don, don't start." Leonardo insisted, making his way back to Splinter. "I'll sleep with Sensei tonight. You need to sleep, even if it's a couple of hours." Before Don could protest, Leonardo faced his brother once more, "Please. For me."

Sighing, Donatello hesitantly rose from his seat. At a completely loss for words, he rubbed the back of his head as he nodded slowly. "Okay, Leo. B-But if anything changes, you tell me okay?"

"Of course, Donnie. I got this."

Waiting until his little brother was no longer in the room, he mumbled a prayer, gripped his father's hand, and watched him sleep peacefully.

/./././././././././././././

He found himself back where he started the day. Legs spread out across his ruffled sheets; one arm resting behind his head while the other lay limp across his chest. Staring blankly at his ceiling, he traced his fingers over his stitched up arm. Worse has happened to his arm, let alone his legs when the Shredder broke them both.

A small smile formed at the corner of his lips; just how did things turn so badly in just one day? He woke up, excited to start morning training with everyone. Now, he's (attempting to) falling asleep at nearly 9:30PM, beaten and bruised in more ways than one.

_Fuck. _Michelangelo hissed as tears began to prickle the corner of his eyes. He hated this. He hated wallowing in his own sensations. He wondered what would be of his brothers without him. Maybe Leo would actually be able to complete that katana he's always working on. Maybe Raph's temper would be more in control. Maybe Donnie wouldn't have to fix almost everything in the house.

Maybe everyone would just be…better off without him.

Reaching under his bed, he reached for his journal. Gently whipping the dust off of his precious dairy, he began flipping through the pages. Sketches he had done over the years poured all old memories back in him. It started with simple stick figures, and then advanced to full profiles. His brothers knew he drew but never would he, nor would he dare, show his drawings to anyone. His last sketches were a few months ago, attempting to get full profiles of each of his brothers. It wasn't too hard, considering when each of them is stuck on a task, he is in it both mind and body.

Leo was both the easiest, and most difficult to capture. Mikey would sneak into the dojo after training and sketch him meditating. Leo would be completely still, giving Mikey the full advantage of catching his brother in his best state. The oldest would question his brother, and at times, insisting on seeing what he was doodling. But Mikey knew how to change subjects quickly, or draw his attention elsewhere. Raph, on the other hand, was never still nor silent enough for Mikey to draw. Always on the move, verbal with every attack he gave. Donnie, similar to his oldest brothers, he was silent but always moving. As an artist, Mikey knew exactly how he wanted to capture each of his brothers.

Looking at it now, he was pretty proud of each of his sketches. Even though his sketches were mere pencil drawings, you were still able to tell the difference between each of his brothers by one defining quality- their eyes. Leonardo's, though closed during his mediation, were drawn with ease. Gently guiding the pencil over his strong stare. Raphael's were dark, yet drawn with careful guidance. Capturing his second oldest with his passionate yet firm eyes as he fought. Donatello, a mixture of both Leonardo and Raphael's features, yet had the most gentle touch fixated on his eyes. Attempting to sketch his brother's gentle compassion, but never-ending mind at work.

Turning the page, he noticed that he once attempting to do himself.

It was blank.

Ripping the piece of paper into complete shreds, Michelangelo clenched his sketch notebook tightly. All three of his brothers- so strong, so brave, so much better without him-.

_Worthless…_

_Pitiful…_

_Unwanted…_

With every inch of his being, he heaved his precious journal across his room. The small little book met his mirror, causing both his reflection and his pages to scatter everywhere. Plummeting to the ground with a loud crashing uproar.

"Mikey?"

"Michelangelo?!"

"Mike!"

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! _He couldn't let his brothers see him like this. His mind ran the fastest he thought he could think-

But what could he do? What **should **he do?

Run away? Yes, that could work. Running would definitely clear his head, and being away from everything for a little while could work. But, his brothers would just be irritated at the fact that he ran. He couldn't do that to them, and Master Splinter. They all are way too stressed out to deal with that.

"Mikey! What's going on?!"

"Yo, yer alright up there?"

"Michelangelo! What happened?!"

Could he tell them? Yes, that too could work. Master Splinter did tell him to express his feelings to his brothers. Instead of keeping it bottled inside, he could simply talk about what he's been feeling lately. Who knows? Maybe they too will open up to him.

_Wate…_

_Nothing…_

_Weak…_

No. He couldn't. He just couldn't.

"What the hell?!"

"The fuck happened in here?!"

"Michelangelo, what's going on?!"

His heart raced, he couldn't feel his fingers as he dug them deep into his sheets. His vision blurred as the voices around him grew, his brain screaming in agony as the voices raised louder and louder.

"Michelangelo! What's wrong?!"

"The fuck is wrong with ya!"

"Mikey, talk to me, what's going on?!"

His mouth opened, but no words came out. _What the shell? I-I can hear them, but, wait, them? What are my brothers doing here? What am I even doing? I gotta run-talk-run-talk-!_

"Donnie, what the fuck is wrong with him?!"

"I think he's having a panic attack- his pulse is racing-!"

"Michelangelo, look at me. Breathe. Just breathe, okay?"

_What? _Focusing his eyes just hurt his head even more. He could see the silhouettes of each of his brothers. He felt firm hands racing down his arms and neck, thick hands held his shoulders firm, and a calm voice spoke to him.

"Make him snap outa it, Don!"

"I can't make him 'snap' out of it! He's hyperventilating, I can't-!"

"Michelangelo, it's just us! You're okay, nothing is wrong-!"

"_Yes, Michelangelo, nothing is wrong…"_

_W-WHAT? _The blurred vision of his brothers morphed into a single body. The brightness surrounding the body grew brighter. Terrified of the apparitions his mind was playing him, Mikey quaked, "M-Master Splinter?"

"W-What's wrong with him?!"

"M-Mikey! Look at me! Stay with me!"

"Mike! It's me Le-!"

"_You are safe here. You are accepted here. Everything is alright."_

_I know that voice…Where are those voices coming from-? Where are my brothers? Where am I-?_

Shutting his eyes tight, Michelangelo desperately tried to block the voices and images surrounding him. Pleading for the voices to stop, he could feel the warm tears stream down his face. His vision grew blurrier, only able to outline the color of each of his brother's bandanas.

"Mike, come on, talk to us-!"

"Mikey! Say something!"

"Don-a-tel-o-! Help him!"

"_You are nothing but a liability."_

He couldn't handle it anymore. Shutting his eyes tight, clasping his hands against his head, he wailed at the top of his lungs. "STOP!"

Silence. Then suddenly, there were sirens. The cold brisk air wrapped around him, the chill of the evening air making him feel quite at home. His shell-cell ringing nonstop, wide open besides him, the small screen reading, 'Raphael'. Darkness surrounded him. Rubbing his eyes, Michelangelo gasped, loss for words as he took in his surroundings.

He was, on the rooftop? _How the hell did_ _I get here? _Slowly raising himself up to an upright position, he did a quick check over himself. Besides his already bandaged shoulder, he seemed okay.

Grabbing his shell-cell, he started at the small screen…

_12:30 AM_

_FIVE MISSED CALLS FROM DONATELLO._

_SEVEN MISSED CALLS FROM LEONARDO._

_EIGHT MISSED CALLS FROM RAPHAEL._

_6 VOICEMAILS._

_3 TEXT MESSAGES._

_What the…fuck? I-I was out for three hours…?_

"Yeah, Leo, I found him! Get over here!...MIKEY-!" Raphael's voice belted, it sounded near him. Feeling the ends of his bandana tail being pulled, Mikey fell back onto his shell and looked up at the face of his hot-headed older brother. Raphael, now on one knee, glared daggers at his brother. "What did ya think you were doing-?!"

Raphael was visibly angry, more so than usual. His brother was still catching his breath as Michelangelo noticed his eyes, though stern, seemed filled with…worry? Shaken, Michelangelo stuttered, putting the pieces together in his mind. "W-What am I doing here-? I was in my room! I-!"

"Ran off like crazy-!" Helping his brother back on his feet, Raphael gave his little brother a skeptical look. Mikey was visibly shaken, his eyes wide like a child lost in a store. A part of Raph guilty. _But, fuck! What the fuck?! _"We were trying to calm you down and you bolted outta the lair-! What the fuck freaked you out so much?"

"What?" Mikey blinked. "I was just trying to sleep and…How did I get here-?"

"Don't play dumb!" Raphael couldn't help himself as he gave his brother a light shove. "Ya scared us half to death-! Ya looked like ya saw and ghost or somethin'! Why did ya go off like that, huh?"

"I-I really don't know, Raph." Mikey confessed, looking down on the paved ground. "I-I don't remember how I got here, honest! I-I remember breaking something and then…nothing!"

The footsteps of Leonardo could be heard jogging over toward his brothers. Mikey could see the fire in Leo's eyes—usually meaning that he was worried and/or about to explode. Standing besides Raphael, Leonardo couldn't help but feel flustered as he watched Mikey squirm at the touch of his brother. Looking around at his brothers, Michelangelo trembled as he spoke, "I'm fine, okay? I blacked out or something…T-The last thing I remembered was being in my room, I thought I heard you guys talking to me a-and then nothing!" Facing Leo, he was visibly shaken at his own tale. "D-Donnie? You believe me dontca? W-What's wrong with me?"

"You can't tell me you remember **nothing**-?" Leonardo echoed, his tone mixed with worry and frustration. "You ran off and went MIA for hours, Mikey, **hours**! Raph and I ran around the whole city chasing behind you!" Leonardo bit his lip. Mikey was now standing between him and Raph, his eyes filled with fear as he looked over at his brothers. The same eyes that used to look up at him when Raph would tell him that there were monsters in the closet. He felt his gut sting with guilt, why couldn't he just believe his baby brother? What made him suddenly question every movement he made? Gently placing his hand on his little brother's good shoulder, he gave him a light squeeze as he said, "I'm just happy you're okay. Are you hurt?"

Mikey shook at the sudden touch of his shoulder. Leo was giving a small smile, the same one that was both loving and filled with worry. The same Leo that would protect him, love him, and just…understand him. The pounding in his head thumped more and more as his mind dwelled deeper into the events of that night. His sudden explosion of emotions, his outburst, that fourth voice, his blackout—was he really going crazy? Tears prickled down his freckled face as he choked on his own sob. Lunging himself at his oldest brother, he fought the tears no longer. Gripping his arms around Leo's plastron, just enough for his small arms to wrap around him, he sobbed.

Raphael grimaced at the sound of his baby brother's sobs. He hated when Mikey, or any of his brothers would cry. Growing up, Mikey was usually the crier. But not like this—not when his brother's crying wasn't just simply whining. It was a hurtful cry- and whether he'll admit it or not—that stung his heart.

Leonardo slowly, making sure he didn't touch Mikey's bandaged shoulder, wrapped his arms around his brother. Rubbing his shell, Leo muttered, "Sh, it's okay. You're okay now, I'm here." He didn't know what the shell was going on with his brother, or his father, or the rest of his family, or Master Splinter…

But he'll be damned if he didn't figure it out.

/./././././././././././././././

Donatello paced his lab, making his now thirtieth round. He rubbed his sweaty hands against his knees. Waiting was one of the worst parts of his job. Waiting to hear from his brothers about Mikey, waiting for Master Splinter to open his eyes…

_If he opens his eyes. _No. Shaking his head, he gave himself a mental slap across the head. He can't think that way. Of course Master Splinter will awaken soon. Finally decided to let his pace be put to rest, he slumped himself in his desk chair as he wheeled himself back to his desk. He might as well be doing something useful while this brothers are gone. His shell-cell rested beside his paperwork, blinking multiple times. Flipping his phone open, he read a text message he got from Raph.

"_Found Mikey. Seems okay, 'sides the shoulder. But he won't stop crying or shakin'. We'll get home ASAP. Be safe, bro."_

Donatello let out a low, but worrisome, sigh. He was grateful that Mikey was okay- he always managed to find himself deep in trouble. Making Donnie, and the rest of his family worry about the youngest. Now more than ever.

"_That's good. Is he okay? I will, don't worry. You guys be safe too."_

"My son?" Donatello was startled by the new voice, making him nearly fall out of his seat. Shooting his head up, his eyes opened wide. Slowly making himself sit up, Splinter's eyes were half open. Rushing himself over to his father, he began checking over him. "S-Sensei! How are you feeling? We were so worried-!"

His voice was weak, dry, and scratchy. Gripping his second youngest's hand tightly, his voice trembled, "Where is Michelangelo?"

"He's…" Donatello hestitated for a moment. He couldn't lie to his father, yet, if he knew that something could have been wrong with Mikey, it would just stress him further. Clearing his throat, he stumbled as he spoke. "He's with Leo and Raph topside. Everything is under control, don't worry, father."

"I-I sense a great danger, my son. Please," Master Splinter pleaded, his voice sounding more uneasy than earlier. "Please, Donatello. Y-You are all in danger."

"We are okay, Sensei." Donnie insisted, placing another cold cloth on his father's head. "You just rest up so you can get back to training us, okay? Don't get me wrong, Leo's great and all! But, he's no you, father."

Donatello wasn't sure if his father was just delusional from his sudden collapase..

But he knew one thing was for certain- that his father's senses are usually spot on.

And that terrified him.

/././././././././././././././

"Sir, we cannot proceed as planned."

Sipping his evening whiskey, Bishop waiting until the last drop was gone before shattering the glass on his desk. Time was of the essence, and everything was not going according to plan. Clenching his teeth together, he hissed, "What is it now, Jacob?"

"The blood sample did not match the physique of the terrapin. We have to change most of the exterior and some extra features that we aren't even sure of. We are working as fast as we can, Agent Bishop, sir."

"Everything is set up. I planned accordingly, Jacob. And you choose to wait until this very moment to tell me that we have to be delayed-?"

"The sooner we have the turtle you seek, the sooner we can get the project out."

Grinning, he rose to his feet. Slipping on his long black trench coat, he began making his way out of his office. "Then let the game begin…"

/././././././././././././././././


	5. Part 2 (Chapter 5) Evaluation & Regroup

**A**uthor's **N**ote: I first want to say thank you to all my followers, reviewers, and readers. If it wasn't for you guys, I probably would't have updated in a long time. Which, I probably should cover really quick! Unfortunately life once again has caught up with me- work, family, friends, school- I've never really had the time or inspiration to continue. But you guys have totally inspired me to push on! Because of that, I forced myself to sit down and write a longer chapter! I hope you guys enjoy! And thank you again for all the constant support!

_**Disclaimers: I do not own TMNT or the song lyrics from "Maybe" by Sick Puppies.**_

...

**A Turtle and his Sisyphus**

…..….

_"Why does it feel so wrong to reach for something more?"_

...

It took the pair of brothers a good half hour to calm their youngest brother and make their way down through the sewers. The entire walk echoed only mere water drops around the walls and the hallow breathing of Michelangelo.

Walking only a few feet ahead, Leonardo marched with pace toward the lair. Even though the walk itself wasn't too far, Leo's firm gait kept him far enough to be close to home. Keeping his pace up, he fixated his mind on the aim of getting home. Yet, he couldn't help but let his mind compete. Just what exactly _is _wrong with his brother? This wasn't like his brother at all. Leonardo shook his head. He knew him better than this. Mikey is carefree, continuously has a smile on his face, very expressive about his feelings, and is constantly just…happy. This Mikey, the one a few feet behind him, wasn't his brother. And that terrified Leo the most.

Not too far behind, Raphael strolled at an average pace. His hands fiddled with the edges of his sais as he lifted his head to watch Leo keep up with his own mission to the lair. Every now and then, Raphael glanced over his shoulder. Slightly turning his head, he heard the heavy steps of his little brother. A sting of guilt hit him hard. Sure, he wanted to make sure his brother wasn't about to go insane and nearly run all the way to Jersey. Hell, he too wanted to beat the crap out of his idiotic brother for being so irrational. Nothing was making sense to Raphael, and he hated every minute of it.

Trotting in the back of the line, Michelangelo held his head up with whatever dignity he had left. After having a completely dramatic episode, Mikey had no idea how to even start with his brothers. He bit his lip as he watched his brothers. Raph would look back to him every now and then—Raph's way of checking up on him. He'd give a small smile and wave, then Raph would turn back to the front. Leo, on the other hand, kept his head straight at all times. Maybe his big bro felt just the way he did. Maybe Leo couldn't stand looking into his eyes, nor could he look at Leo.

Mikey couldn't help but think back on what happened. Man, were Raph and Leo- _did I say Raph?- _ticked at him. Shell, they had every right to be. Disappearing in the middle of the night, completely blacking out and apparently running around the city. _Just what the shell was that?_ The sudden blackout? That weird hallucination he had right before he woke up on the roof? What was happening to him?

Ahead, Mikey realized that Raph and Leo were already walking into the lair. He could hear footsteps followed by a frantic voice.

"Leo! Raph! Are you two okay?"

"Just dandy."

"We're fine. How is Master Splinter?"

"His body is responding to the antibiotics well. I think he's actually starting to recover- uh, slowly of course but it's responding so…" Michelangelo waited hesitantly outside the lair, his head slightly poking out watching his brothers converse. Raphael and Leonardo's backs faced him as he watched Donatello, standing in-between Raph and Leo, shift himself between the two and smiled slightly at him. "Hey, Mikey. Looks like you're in one piece."

"Well," Mikey shrugged sheepishly. "My insides can probably beg to differ. More specifically my arm." Mike gave his arm a shrug as he peeled off whatever wrapping was left. Mikey beamed, a laugh escaping his smirk. "Geez, Donnie, you've never given crappy casts like these in forever, dude!"

Donnie was taken back at first at the sudden normality of his brother's mood. Shell, didn't he just have a mental breakdown and run out of the lair as if the Shredder himself was chasing after him? He blinked for a few moments. Michelangelo still smiled to him, gesturing his arm, waiting for him to respond. Don smiled back at him and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that, Mikey. Geez, your head it hot. You have a fever or something? Okay, come on, I'll fix that up for you."

Leonardo glanced a confused look at Raphael. Now his brother was nearly completely fine? He wasn't sure if he should feel joyous or confusion. He waited until the pair of younger brothers left the room to walk over to Raphael. Arms crossed, he lowered his voice as he spoke. "I'm worried about him. Did you see the way he acted toward us before?"

_Gently grasping Splinter's hand, Leonardo mumbled an old prayer that he had taught himself. This prayer was Leonardo's support, the one he always counted on to make things better. Like the time Raphael was flipped headfirst into a brick wall and was in a coma for three days. Or the time Donatello caught an awful case of pneumonia as kids. _

_When he felt himself surrounded by the Elite._

_When he crashed into April's roof._

_Seeing the complete terror, fear, in his brothers' eyes._

_That prayer was his consolation. _

_The lair cried with the shattering of glass from upstairs. He felt his muscles tense up at the sudden boom. _

"_Mikey?"_

"_Mike!"_

_Leonardo stepped outside of Donnie's lab. Looking up at the top of the stairs he too called out for his brother. "Michelangelo?"_

_Donatello held his coffee cup close to him as he too turned his head up to look at Michelangelo's room. Raphael stepped out from the dojo, panting from his workout he glanced over at Don and Leo. _

"_Mikey! What's going on?"_

"_Yo, yer alright up there?"_

_Leonardo was the first to move. He carefully walked up the stairs and cautiously approached his door. "Michelangelo! What happened?"_

_He could hear Donatello and Raphael rush up behind him. Leo suspiciously turned his brother's door handle and gently opened the door._

_He almost wish he didn't. Almost._

_Sitting straight up in his bed, Michelangelo gripped his sheets tightly around his fingers. His eyes were open wide as he stared straight at the ground. Leonardo followed his brother's eyes and saw his entire mirror was shattered. Glass now sprawled out on the floor. _

"_What the hell?"_

"_What the fuck happened in here?"_

_Leonardo turned his head back to Mikey. He watched his brother gasp as he stared straight at him. Leo treaded around the glass as he tried to make his way closer to Mikey. His voice, as gentle as his panic could be, spoke, "Michelangelo, what's going on?"_

_His baby brother began to shake. Leo watched as Mikey's whole body trembled, his bright blue eyes getting wider and wider, his mouth slightly open as quick breaths came in and out. Sitting beside his brother's side, Leonardo hesitantly reached for his brother's hand. He tried to be calm, but Don and Raph were just as panicked as he was._

"_Michelangelo! What's wrong?"_

"_The fuck is wrong with ya?"_

_He finally grasped his brother's trembling hand and gently comforted his youngest, as best he could, "Mikey, talk to me, what's going on?"_

_His mouth gaped open. Breaths only coming out. His eyes looked around the room in shock as continue to do this. Leo felt his brother's grip get tighter around his hand. _

"_Donnie, what the fuck is wrong with him?"_

"_I think he's having a panic attack- his pulse is racing!"_

_Squeezing his baby brother's hand, he gently stroked his hand. "Michelangelo, look at me. Breathe. Just breathe, okay?" _

_The pupils of Mikey's eyes began to grow larger and larger. Leonardo felt the grip of his brother's get tighter, and tighter- enough for Leo to cringe in pain. _

"_Make him snap outa it, Don!"_

"_I can't make him 'snap' out of it! He's hyperventilating, I can't-!"_

_Leo cut his brother off as he desperately squeezed his hand even tighter. "Michelangelo, it's just us! You're okay, nothing is wrong! You're safe!"_

"_M-Master Splinter?"_

_Sensei? Why was his brother calling out for their father? His voice sounded so small, so weak, so desperate. _

"_W-What's wrong with him?!"_

"_M-Mikey! Look at me! Stay with me!"_

_Leo adjusted himself to sit directly in front of his brother. Using his other hand to lean on his brother's shoulder. He gripped his hand, again, and his shoulder at the same time. "Mike! It's me, Leo. You're home with all of us, there is no danger. You're here with me, Raph, and Donnie. Nothing is going to hurt you. But I need you to tell us what you're seeing."_

_His brother's eyes were shut now as he began mumbling. Leo couldn't quite make out what his brother was saying, but he felt more and more painful watching him suffer. _

"_Mike, come on, talk to us!" _

"_Mikey, say something!"_

"_Donatello, you have to help him!" Right when Leo turned his head to face Don, Michelangelo cried out, "STOP!" _

_Right as he screamed, Leo jumped to his feet. Suddenly, Mikey shoved Leo with all his might into his dresser. Don, crying out to Leo, was shoved straight into Raph before he could even reach his oldest brother._

"_MIKEY!" Leo fought back onto his feet. His arm was bruised and he felt weak, but he knew he had to get up. "Follow him!" _

_It was at this moment that nothing else mattered to him. His priority was to go after Mikey—whatever it takes._

"I know," Raph grumbled, once again fumbling with his sai. "I was there too, y'know. What do you expect us to do? We got no leads, Splinter is still sick, and Mike can snap any minute." As much as he hated to admit it, Raphael was right. There were countless situations when all seemed lost, when it seemed they had nothing left to do but to wait. Wait for some kind of unexpected occurrence to show the way, some kind of crazy and dangerous way to get a content resolution.

This didn't seem like another one of those days.

Leonardo already felt at a complete loss for words. His family was crumbling before him, watching his brothers and father suffer to the hands of the "turtle luck true to form". _Now I'm quoting Raph, perfect. _Giving his brother a shove, Leonardo reassured him, "Let's just give Donnie some space to figure out what that recording device was, or if it's still active. In the meantime, we should probably do a damage report on Splinter and Mikey. I think you should talk to Mikey."

"Me? Why me? He listens to you."

"Exactly. He rather listen to me tell him what to do. He naturally opens up to you, when you don't make him."

"So you want me to just sit there until he vents his deepest darkest thoughts about why he's been acting like a psychopath?"

Leo couldn't help himself, letting a small smile slip. "More or less."

"Wonderful." Groaning and mumbling a few choices of curse words, Raphael marched his way to Michelangelo's room. Leonardo pitied his brother- Raph does truly try. Deep, deep down he knew his hotheaded brother wanted to be the one to talk to Mikey. In a way, he envied his brothers for it. Whenever he and Raph fought, it would usually end with a sting. Yet, most of the time, when Michelangelo and Raphael fought, it would end with Mikey smiling and poking fun at the situation and Raph eventually blowing him off.

He and Raph used to be inseparable as kids. Late night exploring, Raph would always convince Leo to tag along for fun. They'd always spar each other, regardless of the lesson. They'd help each other with the learning assignments Splinter did with them, even up to the point of swapping each other's work to complete the question the other couldn't figure out. The little things they did as kids just wouldn't cut it now.

Late night exploring? Possible.

Swapping homeworks? Dishonorable, at least to him.

Sparring with each other? Never a dull moment.

_Now._ Now, everything was different yet it never changed. Behind the disputes, Leo felt that Raph understood him the best. The pressures Leo faced, and how there is no room for failure. For Mikey and Donnie, they could loose their footing in a fight. In that splint second, he knew it was his job to have his younger brothers' backs. Raph included, even though he never minded backing Leo up with it.

Raph, _though he'll never admit it, _was the back up that Leo never accepted, nor turned down. It was an unspoken, neutral agreement to always watch over the family- and each other. But they knew their places, their responsibilities. What needed to be done for the good of the family. At all costs.

/././././././././././././././

"Ow! Watch it!"

"I am 'watching it'." Donatello carefully wrapped another cast around his younger brother's shoulder—for the second time. "There, it's done. Now please don't mess this one up too, okay? You have to share the medical supplies with everyone."

"Well, let's hope that we don't have to, bro." Mikey rotated his shoulder, adjusting himself to the tight bandaged wrapped around it. He kept his eyes glued to the floor. He still couldn't dare himself to look up at his brother. At the corner of his eye he could see his brother back to tinkering.

"Yeah, hopefully." Donnie's voice cracked. Maybe it was the stress finally kicking into him, or that Splinter's recovery has been slow. Either way, Donatello felt completely useless. He had to do something, anything, to give his family some kind of assurance. _And that's exactly what this device will lead me to. _He could hear Mikey spinning around his chair across from him, humming a low tune to himself. "You know, Mikey, you can go if you want. You don't have to hang around here."

"I guess so," Mikey admitted, wheeling himself over next to Donnie. "But I wanna help, if I could. And like, real help, not let-me-mix-the-pretty-colors-and-hope-it-goes-boom kind of help."

Chucking, he glanced over to his right and shrugged. "I mean, there's not much you can do. I don't mind company though—as long as you don't touch anything, of course."

"That I can do!" Resting his casted arm on Donnie's work table, he craned his neck over. Peering over his brother's shoulder he asked, "So, what's that anyway? Another shell cell upgrade or something?"

Donnie hesitated. "Yeah, something. But, I've been meaning to talk to."

"Oh." Mikey wheeled himself a few feet back and continued maneuvering himself across the room. "I'm fine, dude. Just haven't slept much that's all. Which I better go do so, catch you later!" Jumping off his seat he dashed toward his room. He felt bad for leaving Donnie up in the air like that, but he knew what he was leading up to. Anything but actually talking about it.

Swinging his door open he quickly shut it behind him, just in case Donnie chased after him. Breathing out a sigh of relief he slouched himself against the door, his eyes closed.

"Yo."

"GAH!" Jumping back on his feet, his head banging against his door, he looked up at the figure leaning against his bed. "Raph, geez, you of all people should get a sense of privacy! If you wanted something you could-!"

"Look, you've been actin' real weird these past few days. And it's freakin' me out. So, you could either tell me what's been goin' on, or, I could just smack it out of ya. Your choice."

"How sensitive, oh brother of mine-!" Pulling his knees to his chest, he rested his head against his knees. His tone growing more serious, he mumbled, "Raph? Do you think I'm…a liability?"

"No," Shrugging his shoulders, Raph continued. "A bonehead, yeah. Annoying, most of the time. Na, you're not a liability. Who gave ya that idea?"

"Me. I don't know. I screwed up real big lately. I don't know what's wrong with me, I just feel so…off."

"Before or after ya ran off across Manhattan?"

"Dude," Mikey exclaimed as he rose to his feet. "I seriously don't remember any of that! The mirror, me running off, you guys talking to me, I can't remember a thing! I just blinked and- BOOM."

"Boom?"

"Ugh, I meant, POOF."

"Poof?"

"Yeah."

"Are we talkin' about what happened or your brain activity?"

"Dude, I'm being serious!"

"So am I!"

"Forget it!" Grabbing his sketchbook, which was already loosing it's pages, Mikey reached for the door. Then, the realization hit him, stopping dead in his tracks, he pouted as he exclaimed, "Wait, this is my room,** you** leave!"

"Look, Mikey, you shouldn't feel like your some kind of…Flaw to us. You know you're not, bro. You're good. Leo and Donnie are worried about you- I'm, worried about you. We want to help ya, before you have another...episode. Let Donnie help ya, bro. It'll make everyone feel a lot better." Raph gave Mikey a gentle shove as he made his way out of the room. Turning his head around he smirked, "Maybe it's the pizza that's gotten to ya."

"Yeah, maybe, bro! I mean, I love my fair share of pizza dude but the place we normally get it from never screws up as much as they did now. But," For the first time in a long time, Raph saw Mikey smile as he ran and gave his brother a hug. "thanks, Raphie."

Prying his brother off of him, he flicked his forehead. "Look, shell-brains. One, don't hug me. Two, make Leo and Donnie stop being worried mothers. And three, next time you get pizza-." Pizza. The pizza Mikey got earlier in the afternoon was the one with the recording device on it, the one he didn't notice. "Wait, did you have half that pizza by yourself?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

/././././././././././././././././

Sitting on different sections of the living room, the turtles exchanged glances. Leonardo, arms crossed, listening to Raphael's proposal as he occasionally

"You're telling me that the pizza Mikey ate was drugged to cause him to have some series of hallucinations." Donatello rubbed the back of his neck as he grabbed a slice of Mikey's pepperoni pizza. "I mean, that could explain why he had a fever when he came back and was acting out. And his description of the attack when he was with Splinter."

"Dude, that part was for real! I swear!"

"Nonetheless," Leonardo continued, hoping to stop a fight before it erupted. "It explains Mikey's behavior and maybe even why Splinter is ill. If someone is attempting to drug one or all of us, we all need to be at our full guard. Donnie, how's Splinter doing?"

"Recovering, thankfully." Donnie smiled. "He seems to be responding well to the medication, I think he'll be okay by the end of the week. If he gets enough rest."

"Good, before you work on that device see if that pizza really was drugged in the first place. If you can find out what was used, maybe we can trace it back to the source. In the meantime, we need to figure out who we're exactly dealing with. Raph, call up Casey and check out what the Dragons have been up to. Though I don't think they'd be able to pull this off, you never know. I'm going to check out the Foot hotspots, see what I can dig up."

"Alone?" Donnie frowned, shaking his head. "I know the Shredder's dead and all but, what if Karai's there? You should have some kind of backup."

"I'll handle Karai, trust me." Leo assured. "She wouldn't do anything reckless, especially with Shredder gone. Mikey, I want you to give Donnie a hand. How about you run by Leatherhead's and give him the device? Maybe with a second brain power it gives Donnie less stress and more a chance to get more covered."

Mikey beamed, nodding with excitement. "You got it, bro!"

Leonardo smiled. Things were finally piecing together. Soon, they can know exactly what's been going on.

Or what's been happening.

/./././././././././././././././


End file.
